The Teacher's Pet's 'high-risk' strategy and the man who caught a killer.

It was the podcast that the whole of Australia – and much of the world – was captivated by. The podcast that told Lynette Dawson's story, and aimed to uncover what had happened when she disappeared age 33 in January 1982.

It was also the podcast that examined the key suspect in the case – Lynette's husband Chris Dawson, who has now been found guilty of his wife's murder.

But for Lynette's family and friends, it was a 40-year wait for justice. 

And the person who helped spearhead the quest for answers was journalist Hedley Thomas. 

With a podcast from The Australian called The Teacher's Pet, Hedley catapulted Lynette's suspicious disappearance into the public zeitgeist in 2018. Later that same year was Dawson charged with murder.

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It was back in 2001 that Hedley became interested in the cold case. 

With the resources now available to him years later, he decided to investigate it further via a podcast – which in 2018 had garnered 60 million downloads.

Reflecting on the podcast, Hedley said to Mamamia's No Filter that it was a story he always thought he would revisit. 

"Towards the end of 2017 I felt a little bit aimless, and I remembered I always wanted to do more with this story about Lynette. I thought maybe in a really long-form way I could bring out new evidence, new leads and maybe get a result because Lyn's family were so dignified and such good people. You could see they had been let down by the system."

And over time, Hedley gained the trust of Lynette's family.

"It was incredibly sad for two little girls who are now obviously adult women, but these girls were deprived of a loving mother," Hedley said this week to The Australian.

"My overall aim with these podcasts is to solve crimes. That's why I'm going after cases that are unsolved. Let's try to uncover, identify a culprit."

Listen to Mia Freedman interview Hedley Thomas. Post continues after audio.

Between May and August 2018, the 14-part podcast was released, and after Dawson was arrested, another three episodes were published.  

In 2018, Hedley – alongside Slade Gibson who did the original music and audio production – won the Gold Walkley award for their podcast. It was a major achievement for Hedley, who began his career in newspapers at 17 as a copy boy at The Gold Coast Bulletin.  

The Walkley award noted Hedley and Slade's contribution for uncovering "long-lost statements and new witnesses, and prompting police to dig again for the body of Lyn Dawson, who disappeared from her home in 1982".

But by April 2019, there was a major update.

On advice from the Office of the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions, and in the interests of a fair trial, The Australian decided to remove the podcast from all platforms in Australia. It had already reached No 1 in the charts in Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand.

By April 2022, after multiple setbacks and legal proceedings, Dawson was told he would stand trial for the murder of his wife after Australia's highest court dismissed an application for the matter to be struck out.

In a two-month long trial, the court heard evidence. And on August 30, a verdict was handed down. The 74-year-old former teacher and rugby league player had pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife. 

When the words 'I find you guilty' rang through the courtroom, Lynette's family gasped and held one another's hands. Hedley was there too with Lynette's loved ones, all of them wearing a touch of pink to commemorate her life.

In a media address after the verdict, Hedley said: "There's a lot of criticism that has been appropriately made of the police investigation early… Lyn Dawson was missing for years and just treated as a runaway mother of that time, when the circumstances were so gravely suspicious."

Hedley with Lynette's loved ones at the media address. Image: Getty.

"It wouldn't happen today, if something happened like that today there would be a strike force that would be set up and there would be a very strong focus on the spouse. And I think that's a reflection of society."

Hedley went on to say that he couldn't have made the podcast without the backing and support of Lynette's family.

"They have been so staunch and treated me like a member of their family. I wouldn't have been able to carry on without that kind of backing. I think I became obsessive [with the case] and for people who understand the evidence in this case have the same feeling because it is so immediately unfair. It's taken 40 years for this to happen. Chris Dawson should have been charged 40 years ago," he said. 

Hedley also said that this verdict was a step in the right direction -– particularly for women. 

"Millions of women can call out the kinds of issues that were exposed in The Teacher's Pet and the evidence brief, and feel more empowered and get some justice. Her [Lynette's] story struck me as so unjust, so unfair at the time. It's just such a privilege that I've had that opportunity. I feel incredibly fortunate."

Feature Image: The Australian/AAP/Mamamia.

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